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Talos

Talos is the deity of storms and destruction. His dogma is self-serving, demanding utter obedience from his priests and instructing them to spread destruction where they may. His followers were known as Talassans.

Talos has appeared as a broad shouldered, bearded man with one good eye. He wore half-plate armor over black leather, and black leather gloves. His empty eye socket was filled with whirling stars and covered with a dark eye patch.

Worshippers

The church of Talos was small by the standards of other deities, and his followers are fanatical in their love of destruction. The clergy has no formal hierarchy; obedience is enforced through might. Priests of Talos are fond of extorting sailors and farmers, threatening that Talos will bring destructive storms upon them if they do not placate the angry god. They pursue wealth and luxury with many indulging in acts of random or spiteful violence, pillage and banditry. Talossan clerics are also committed evangelists who sought to gain converts through fear or the enticement of raw power.

Clerics of Talos wear black robes and cloaks shot through with teardrops and jagged lines of gold and silver, while high clergy wear blue-white ceremonial robes streaked with crimson; all of whom wore an eye patch. Talassan clerics generally were also barbarians, sorcerers, or even wizards.

Worship of Talos is outlawed in many countries. Most Talossan holy sites are secret because of the church’s reputation. Public churches often take the form of castles or fortified strongholds that lay on earthquake fault lines or in the path of storms or lava; Talos ensures they remain unscathed.

Rituals

Clerics of Talos celebrate Talossan festivals with ceremonies that summoned lightning and storms.

Calling Down the Thunder – This ritual involved the sacrifice of an intelligent being by lightning.The Fury – This was the ceremony in which the cleric prayed, made berserk attacks to wreak as much destruction as possible in a small amount of time, then prayed again.

Orders

The existence of religious orders affiliated with Talos are shrouded in mystery and rumour. Two speculated groups were:

Lords of the Tempest – A group of wizards that specialized in combining elemental magic.Circle of Rust and the Worm – A cabal of insane sages and mystics of various disciplines with the aim of destroying the world.